Best (and Worst) Movie Trailers of 2013

 I have a few things I do on the Internet whenever I’m bored: look at shoes, read entertainment gossip, and watch movie trailers. SO. MANY. MOVIE. TRAILERS.

And because this year was actually a shockingly great one for movies—I saw 140-something movies this year, and I can confidently say that I liked more than I disliked—that means movie trailers were great, too. We’ve come a long way since the pre-YouTube trailers of the 1990s, with their omnipresent narration and low resolution. Now every trailer gets analyzed online, screengrabbed and gif-ed for Tumblr, and—more often than not—they all have that Inception BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM noise. Practically every action movie trailer this year had that noise. Can we stop that noise?

But other than the BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM-heavy deluge, there were a lot of really great movie trailers this year. I’ve collected my favorite seven below, as well as my three least favorites. These trailers either made us excited for the full-length film, really tapped into the point of view of the filmmakers, or just had a great score attached. Are your favorites on here? Sound off in the comments!

BEST TRAILERS OF 2013

TO THE WONDER

I’ll be honest: I love me some Terrence Malick, I adored The Tree of Life, and yet To the Wonder was ultimately a letdown. Too little dialogue; too much Ben Affleck; and this movie seemed to disappear from theaters and public consciousness in a way few Malick movies do. But oh, this trailer had me so excited for months. It’s pretentious but beautiful in that patented Malick way, and every time I heard Javier Bardem say “You feel your love has died—maybe it’s waiting to be transformed into something higher,” I burst into tears. I often have TOO MANY emotions, and this trailer really exemplified that. I think it really accurately captures everything people love—and hate—about Malick, and if that’s not a great trailer, I don’t know what is.

To The Wonder by Teaser-Trailer.com

SPRING BREAKERS

James Franco purring “Let’s cause some trouble now.” Former Disney teen queens wearing sweatpants with “DTF” on their butts. That utterly annoying, undeniably catchy song from Skrillex. Was there a more titillating fever dream of a trailer, or of a movie, this entire year? Nope. Director Harmony Korine and Spring Breakersget that distinct honor, and watching this trailer—even after I’ve seen the movie three times already—still gives me giddy chills.

Spring Breakers with Selena Gomez – Official Trailer by FanReviews

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

Jeez, was Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines critically underrated this year. An excellent performance from Ryan Gosling, a breakthrough role for Dane DeHaan, the only time I’ve ever tolerated Eva Mendes—The Place Beyond the Pines had all that! There wasn’t a more affecting tale of the relationships between fathers and sons this year than this movie—“I’m still his father. I can give him stuff”—and I didn’t sob more in a movie theater during all of 2013. The mirroring between Ryan Gosling’s and Bradley Cooper’s characters is done really well in this trailer, and although it’s not an intensely exciting trailer, it sticks with you. The movie will, too; just see it.

The Place Beyond The Pines by Teaser-Trailer.com

THE GREAT GATSBY

Before The Great Gatsby came out, buzz was that the movie was going to be a flop. Such a huge budget for a literary adaptation? After Baz Luhrmann had a failure with Australia? The negative hype was high. But oh man, did The Great Gatsby trailers work hard to turn that doubt around—and when the movie ended up being a commercial success, I think you can point to these trailers as helping that. The movie got a few different official trailers and TV spots before its release, but out of all of them, I think the first is the best. “My life—my life has got to be like this.”

The Great Gatsby by Teaser-Trailer.com

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

Yes, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives was basically just a masturbatory arthouse movie with beautiful scenes, fantastic cinematography, and extremely little plot. But try to tell me Ryan Gosling asking “Wanna fight?” didn’t get your blood boiling. TRY TO TELL ME THAT. And you will be wrong.

Only God Forgives Trailer by Teaser-Trailer.com

MAN OF STEEL

Yes, one of my best movie memories of the entire year was sitting next to my PDC colleague Julian Lytle during Man of Steel, when, during a climactic moment, Julian exasperatedly uttered “Fuck this movie!” in the middle of a packed screening. And ultimately, I concur! I found Man of Steel frustrating and badly plotted, which is especially a bummer given how fantastically epic these trailers were. Oh my god, All-American Kevin Costner suggesting that maybe his adopted son SHOULD have let all his classmates die? Superman's red cape flapping in the wind? Um, Henry Cavill SHIRTLESS and on FIRE? Yes, yes, yes. How sad that the movie was a no, no, no.

Man of Steel by Teaser-Trailer.com

PACIFIC RIM

I personally blame U.S. moviegoers for ignoring Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim and thank the rest of the world for picking up the slack. How could you watch this trailer and then NOT want to see it? Amazingly detailed alien monsters? Idris Elba thundering about “canceling the Apocalypse”? Charlie Hunnam’s and Rinko Kikuchi’s extremely sexual sparring? And it made barely anything domestically? Thanks for nothing, America.

Pacific Rim Official Trailer by Teaser-Trailer.com

WORST TRAILERS OF 2013

OUT OF THE FURNACE

Want to know every single thing that happens in Out of the Furnace? Then just watch its trailer! Seriously, it leaves nothing out. But if we could move away from trailers that give away the entire movie, which actually discourages audiences from paying to see a movie they think they’ve already seen, that would be great.

Out of the Furnace by Teaser-Trailer.com

AMERICAN HUSTLE

American Hustle is a movie with performances that I loved and a soundtrack I immediately wanted to buy, but its trailers left a lot to be desired. The movie is loosely based on the Abscam scandal that is practically impossible to understand, so the trailers chose to forgo narrative and focus on the cast instead. But a trailer that JUST lists the cast members’ names? That seems phenomenally lazy to me.

American Hustle by Teaser-Trailer.com

INSIDIOUS – CHAPTER 2

Because a fat old naked man whispering things in the dark is not scary.

Insidious - Chapter 2 - starring Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Three new clips from 'Only God Forgives' with Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas

Those fortunate enough to be at Cannes (*grumble grumble hate you grumble*) will be able to set their eyes on the latest bro-off from Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling, the thai boxing crime flick Only God Forgives in just a few days. The rest of us still have a couple of months of anxious waiting, but fortunately it looks like we'll have a steady stream of clips to tide us over.

One thing that has been pretty well established in the previously released footage is that Kristin Scott Thomas has never looked more fierce, and the three new clips from The Film Stage continue to back that up. She features in two of these clips as Crystal, a crimelord who arrives in Bangkok to help her son Julian (Gosling) orchestrate revenge against Chang, the brutal ex-cop who murdered her other son. The last one is sure to whip eager fans into a frenzy as it's basically a precursor to what we expect to be a violent showdown, and ends with Gosling issuing a clear challenge.

Only God Forgives finally arrives on July 19th.

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Kristin Scott Thomas dominates three new 'Only God Forgives' clips

While most of the attention on Only God Forgives will be directed at Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn, and justifiably so, but based on everything we've seen so far it may be Kristin Scott Thomas who steals the show. With a dark and evil wit she plays the crimelord mother to Gosling's character, and in the latest batch of clips we see that her words are as brutal as the film's many acts of stylish violence.

Only God Forgives will debut at Cannes next month, before opening in theaters on July 19th. Check out the plot and clips below...[Cine Republic]


Only God Forgives clip 2 by Flixgr

Only God Forgives clip 3 by Flixgr

Only God Forgives clip 1 by Flixgr

PLOT:  Julian (Gosling) lives in exile in Bangkok where he runs a Thai boxing club as a front for the family’s drugs smuggling operation. When Julian’s brother Billy is killed their mother, Jenna (Kristen Scott Thomas), arrives in the city. She wants revenge and forces Julian to find the killer. Julian’s contacts in the criminal underworld lead him directly to The Angel of Vengeance, a retired police officer who knows everything and who is both Judge and Punisher. Jenna demands that Julian kill The Angel of Vengeance, an act that will cost him dearly.

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New international poster for 'Only God Forgives' with Ryan Gosling

It's been a busy week if you're one of those eagerly following Only God Forgives, the latest teaming up of Drive duo Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling. The film was announced as an official entry at the Cannes Film Festival, and we also were treated to a pair of great trailers and a vibrant new poster. But that's not all, as Gosling is featured on a newly released French one-sheet.

While not as eye-catching as the last one, this image does show that Gosling will again be putting on his stoic warrior face. He plays Julian, who runs a Thai boxing gym which is actually just a front for the drug operation run by his mother. Kristin Scott Thomas plays the matriarch in the film, who encourages Julian to go out and get revenge when her other son is murdered. This puts him in the crosshairs of a bruiser by the name of Chang, the Angel of Vengeance.

Only God Forgives will premiere at Cannes before punching theaters on July 19th.

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*UPDATE* Two New 'Only God Forgives' trailers and poster as the film heads to Cannes

Because of the rave response Nicolas Winding Refn received at Cannes for Drive, his last teaming with Ryan Gosling, it seemed like the chances were pretty good that their next pairing would turn up there. After months of speculation, all speculation was put to rest this morning as Refn's thai crime thriller Only God Forgives was announced as an Official Selection for the Cannes Film Festival.

Hot on the heels of the news comes an electric new poster and a powerful international trailer that shows Kristin Scott Thomas may steal the film away from Gosling. She's a dominating presence throughout as his mother, who runs a drug operation that Gosling's kickboxing gym is a front for. When she forces him to go out and get revenge for his brother's murder, the brutal havoc he creates puts him on a collision course with a former cop known as The Angel of Vengeance.

The campy karaoke soundtrack from the previous teaser has thankfully been dropped in favor of something more penetrating, adding a visceral quality to a film that already looked pretty intense. I need to find a way to Cannes, ASAP. Only God Forgives hits theaters on July 19th.


Only God Forgives (bande-annonce vost) by MyScreens

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Ryan Gosling's looking for a fight in 'Only God Forgives' red band trailer

Drive may not have had the awards muscle or the box office success that many thought it would have, but the pairing of Ryan Gosling with Nicolas Winding Refn still flashed a ton of promise. Their follow-up, the Thai boxing crime thriller Only God Forgives is one of the most anticipated films of the year, and now a new red band trailer has arrived.

Soaked in crimson and featuring Refn's stylish noir touches backed oddly by a Thai karaoke singer, the trailer puts Gosling again in the familiar role of a hardened warrior, and we see him engaged in numerous brawls and dragging thugs around by their teeth. He plays Julian, who runs a kickboxing gym in Bangkok which is really a front for the drug operation run by his mother. Her narration, voiced by co-star Kristin Scott Thomas, opens the ominously-toned footage and sets the stage for what looks like another gritty effort from Refn and Gosling. We also get brief looks at Vithaya Pansringarm as the Angel of Vengeance, a brutal former cop Julian is on a collision course with after the murder of his brother.

With Cliff Martinez (who also worked on Spring Breakers) back doing the score, combined with the quick flashes of brutality, the film bears more than a passing resemblance to Drive. Whether or not Only God Forgives is more warmly received we'll have to wait until July 19th to find out.


Only God Forgives by Teaser-Trailer.com

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First teaser trailer for 'Only God Forgives' from Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn

Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn teamed up for one of the more unique action films of recent years with Drive, and in that partnership they found one another to be kindred spirits with a similar cinematic vision. While Gosling will no doubt continue to nurture his Hollywood leading man persona in movies like Gangster Squad, working with Refn gives him the chance to explore darker, more complex characters. Their next shot out of the gate is the Thai boxing crime flick, Only God Forgives, and the first footage has finally arrived.

Stylish, violent, and murky in a Chinatown sort of way, Only God Forgives has Gosling as a man exiled to Bangkok, where he runs a Thai boxing gym which is really just a front for his mother's(Kristin Scott Thomas) criminal empire. After his brother is murdered, he runs afoul of a brutal ex-cop known as the Angel of Vengeance. As you can see, there won't be any shortage of flying elbows, with Gosling throwing more than his fair share.

Easily one of the more eagerly awaited movies of the year, Only God Forgives is set to arrive on May 23rd. [via ThePlaylist]

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1st look at Ryan Gosling in Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Only God Forgives'

There's been some developments relating to super duo Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling's follow-up to Drive, the Bangkok set crime flick, Only God Forgives. Last year, at the height of Refn's buzz, the film was due to be picked up by FilmDistrict for distribution. But due to some disagreements between them and Refn, the deal fell through, with The Weinstein Company and their Radius shingle picking up the rights. That's all geeky behind the scenes stuff, which we usually avoid here, but it's relevant in that the film will be seen here at all. That to me is very good news.

The Wild Bunch website has unearthed a first look image from the film, and while it doesn't show much, it's only the beginning of what sounds like another powerful, ultra violent effort from Gosling and Refn. Gosling plays the son of a Florida-based crime boss(Kristin Scott Thomas), banished to Thailand after a years old murder, now running the drug trade out of a boxing gym alongside his brother. When the brother kills a prostitute, he is then killed by a cop known as the Angel of Vengeance. Gosling then challenges the cop to a boxing match, as a means of getting some revenge for his family.

There'll be lots of swordplay and muay thai boxing action, and with Refn behind the camera lots of blood, too. Filming only got underway recently, so it may be awhile before we see Only God Forgives in theaters.  [Deadline]

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